Archive for
September, 2014

… announced in this video, along with the third member of the Jim Brady Trio:

Both of these announcements carry some star power within Southern Gospel. Tim Parton is known from his years with several groups, including Gold City and, most recently, Legacy Five. Paul Lancaster has been a part of the Martins, the Greenes, and Palmetto State, among others. Both groups are getting quality vocalists, and I’m very excited to see both of them on the road again. Parton will add to the Jim Brady Trio as a pianist and arranger, in addition to his vocal duties. With the Booth Brothers, the vocal transition will be a smooth one, as Lancaster is a great blending vocalist that won’t sharply redefine the sound that the trio has cultivated over the years.

Now, hopefully we’ll get a better glimpse of the sound after the helium wears off. 🙂

It’s always cool to see a singer from our genre in the national spotlight, and that happened again this past weekend. Richard Sterban, longtime bass singer for the Oak Ridge Boys, took the weekend off as his family mourns the passing of his mother. The group had the choice to go as a trio or call on a bass singer, so they tapped Palmetto State Quartet/Gold City alum Aaron McCune. Here he is singing one of my favorite Oak Ridge Boys hits:

Many have asked how the group even knew about McCune. Here’s a probable answer:

Song titles: Drink From Him; His Tomb Is Empty Now; Just One Hope; I Enter In; Coming Out of the Tomb; Jesus Really Cares; What Ever You Need; I’ve Been Revived; Stepping Out; Peace Through The Blood

Adoration Quartet is a “new yet not new” group that has just re-emerged on the Southern Gospel scene. The group was around a few years ago with current bass Chris Serlick, but their claim to attention seemed to stem from the fact that the group had two alumni from one of the Anchormen’s best eras: tenor Brian Routh and baritone Terry Carter. The group disbanded a few years ago, but recently with Serlick in the bass slot, Declaration’s former tenor Joshua Horrell and pianist Dustin Leming in the tenor and baritone positons, respectively, and Anchormen alum Corey Wilson singing the lead. The quartet wasted no time in putting out new music, which is important for any group looking to get a running start.

While listening to this project, my mind kept recalling the days when Brian Routh or Steve Ladd and Jeff Chapman were part of the Anchormen. The voices and tracks possess the same dynamics found with that era of the group: soaring tenor, rumbling bass, solid voices in the middle, uptempo songs that made good use of those vocals, and powerful slower songs as well. Normally, such a strong comparison would not necessarily be a good thing, especially when trying to make a unique name for yourself with a first release, but since time has seen a shift from that style (the recent Anchormen releases, while great, have progressed from that), there is a niche to be filled, and this group does it well. This is evident on the first radio single,”Coming Out of the Tomb (Stepping Into The Light),” which does a fine job of defining the group’s sound and should do well on radio. “Peace Through The Blood” covers the ballad part of the equation with a strong performance from tenor Horrell. Other highlights include “I Enter In” (which was first recorded with the original iteration of Adoration) and “His Tomb Is Empty Now.” You can hear clips of all of these and more on the group’s website.

As introductory releases ago, Adoration has put a lot of work into making this a quality project, and it shows. The voices fit together well already (though it probably helps that three of the four sang together previously). Horrell shows that he has the potential to be of the genre’s best upcoming tenors. Corey Wilson hasn’t lost a thing in the lead department since he left the road. Serlick lends a solid, smooth low part, and Dustin Leming has a solid, blending baritone voice. Sure, I would have liked to hear brass and strings that weren’t “canned,” but that’s a minor nitpick since they don’t distract much from the rest of the music, and that problem can be remedied with the right budget. Given the right touring schedule and promotion, I look for Adoration Quartet to be around for a good while, as this introduction is a solid representation of what they can do. What A Change receives 4 stars.

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